Episode 110: Here Comes the SUN – Ecologically!
Episode 110! Last year’s Geeks Got Talent! Contest winner, Wendy McCarty, joined us to tell us about SUN (Sustaining Universal Needs) Foundation – and their proposed Eco Village project in Inman, SC.
About SUN
The Sustaining Universal Needs Foundation (SUN) is a 501c3 Non Profit Organization who seeks to help build more resilient communities during a time of crisis where a lack of resources may occur. It is our goal to help towns and cities of all sizes to have a well established, local support system for access to food, water, shelter and the knowledge of how to obtain and maintain all of the above.
SUN hopes to build a community wellness center, and central “hub” of the community, where you can go to take classes and courses and get hands on experience in all things sustainable. We have a primary focus on the building of monolithic domes. These structures are built out of shotcrete (a liquid form of concrete) and foam—and are an excellent choice for a community storm shelter because of their low maintenance and durability. These structures, once constructed, can withstand an F5 tornado.
After a community center/storm shelter has been formed, we would then focus on building other structures devoted specifically to crafts, products and skills which sustain universal needs, such as: permaculture, bamboo, aquaponics, animal husbandry, fermentation, gardening and agriculture, food preservation and personal care items such as handmade deodorants and soap making. These structures would be our “Eco Village.”
This Eco Village would bring in tourists, as well as community interest. We would encourage anyone within the community with knowledge of these skills to come and share their wisdom with others. We would bring in speakers and authors to speak about these subjects. The term, “It takes a village” is a great metaphor for this idea.
The Sustaining Universal Needs Foundation believes that there is strength in bonding the community together. The Industrial Civilization brought about many changes to our culture in America—one of which was the newfangled idea that we are better on our own, away from others, inside our own domicile. We aim to bring back many of the “old ways” of living—where people come together to cook, learn, grow and become more resilient if and when those huge “What If?” questions become a reality. What if we had to suddenly live without electricity? What if there were no more petroleum? These are questions we may not want to focus on, because they are ultimately terrifying due to our current way of life—but we at SUN believe it is important to be prepared for the big ‘What if’ scenarios by forming bonds within our community that will give us a village of hope and support if and when a crisis should arise. It is time that we preserve, develop and sustain the groundwork for our own universal needs.
To learn more, visit here.
To see the YouTube video of Wendy in her winning performance at this year’s Geek Gala – click here.
Originally recorded 10/18/2016
